IPOB plans new strategy over renewal of Biafra agitation
A fresh wave of agitation for the actualization of Biafra and the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is reportedly set to emerge in the South-East by May 2025.
Sources indicate that renewed strategies—both locally and internationally—are being considered to reinvigorate the movement, following a period of relative calm after the arrest of self-proclaimed Biafra Prime Minister, Simon Ekpa, in Finland last November.
Ekpa had spearheaded the controversial Monday sit-at-home protests, which continued despite IPOB’s suspension of the directive. However, since his detention, the enforcement of such measures has significantly declined, and normal economic activities have resumed in the region.
IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, confirmed that a “fresh option” is being explored but remained tight-lipped on the details. He emphasized that IPOB had deliberately scaled down its activities to separate itself from criminal elements that had hijacked the movement.
“We decided to step back to allow things to settle and to differentiate ourselves from those who turned the struggle into an avenue for criminality,” Powerful stated.
Despite the lull, IPOB insists that its core structures, including the Eastern Security Network (ESN), remain intact. The group maintains that its pursuit of Biafra’s self-determination will continue but with a renewed approach that avoids unnecessary violence or destruction.
With mounting frustrations over Kanu’s continued detention and the recent court ruling ordering a retrial, analysts predict that tensions in the South-East could escalate if IPOB and its sympathizers reassert their demands more forcefully in the coming months.
The Guardian
